Funeral Terms

In times of loss, we find comfort in coming together to remember, honor, and celebrate the lives of our loved ones. This compilation of tender funeral terms and customs offers insight into the various ways we can celebrate those who have touched our hearts.

Moments of Reflection: Visitation, Wake, and Viewing

Gathering prior to a funeral service, the visitation, also known as a wake or viewing, gives you the opportunity to express condolences and pay your respects. This might feature an open or closed casket or urn, and for intimate family moments, an open casket exclusively for family only.

Memorial or Tribute Services

A memorial or tribute service is a heartwarming way to remember a dear one. Without a casket or urn, this occasion resembles a funeral or visitation, inviting friends and family to unite in commemorating a life well-lived.

Graveside Services

In the hush of nature a graveside service takes place just before interment. This intimate gathering offers final remarks, prayers, and cherished memories, either in place of or following a traditional funeral service.

Making It Meaningful

Your final tribute can be as unique as the life lived. Reflect on these considerations:

• Where would you like the service to take place? A place of worship, a cherished venue, or even your own home?
• Who should lead the service?
• Do cultural or religious traditions hold significance for you?
• Do you prefer eulogies? Who do you wish to speak?
• What music speaks to your journey?
• Are there readings that summerize your spirit?
• Could mementos, photographs, or videos tell your story?
• Let your hobbies and passions guide the decor.
• Consider engraving a symbol on your marker.
• Should refreshments or a post-service gathering be organized?

Eternal Resting Grounds: Cemetery Choices

Selecting cemetery property, also called “interment rights,” involves careful thought. This secures the right to rest in a specific part of the cemetery, not the land itself.

A Farewell to the Earth: Burial Options

Cemeteries offer diverse choices:

• Ground Burial: Caskets rest below ground, often requiring a protective vault.
• Mausoleum: An above-ground option providing entombment.
• Private Family Mausoleum: A small structure for family entombments.
• Companion Crypts: Side-by-side interments.
• Private Family Estates: A designated family burial area.

Forever Memories: Memorializing Cremated Remains

Cremated remains find a lasting home in various ways:

• Cremation Niche: An above-ground space for urns.
• Columbarium: Holds urns within mausoleums or chapels.
• Cremation Garden: Dedicated to placing remains.
• Memorial Benches: Scatterings or burials memorialized on benches.

Honoring Legacies: Headstones

Remembering lives well-lived can be as diverse as those lives:

• Headstones are called monuments or flat markers.
• Some sections preserve natural landscapes with no visible monumentation and others allows a planting of a tree or placement of a flat marker. 

Amid these choices and traditions, the essence remains: to honor, cherish, and celebrate lives that have touched ours. In these moments of remembrance, may we find comfort, unity, and the enduring beauty of shared memories.